Finding Yourself in Your Paintings
Do you ever experience the sensation of seeing yourself reflected in your artwork, photographs, journals, or the verses of a poem, almost as if you're taking a selfie — or whatever kids call it nowadays — into this creative world where you are not only the maker, but are also becoming the muse? As creators, we channel our emotions through diverse mediums, often without conscious effort, seeking within them a sanctuary, a safe space, a judgment-free zone if you will, looking for a sense of belonging and encouraging ourselves to dive deeper into plenty of unresolved issues.
Meet "Niege," a Brooklyn-based artist who adds a spark of colors, self-attitude, and a radiant positive energy to every “Porto” she visits and artwork she creates. Her body of work is highly vibrant and playful, as she explores the portrayal of women, gender-fluid people, and celebrates diversity in her own unique ways. Niege has completed plenty of commissioned works for well-known brands, using her own signature illustration strokes, where she turns every artwork into a lively "Alegre" space. Spoiler alert! She is from Porto Alegre.
Our visit to Niege’s studio is part of a larger series from Eyes on Art, titled “After the Storm.” Inspired by one of our shows, “The Storms Inside," this initiative aims to shed light on artists' journeys, their studios, and their creative processes.
As we stepped into her apartment, the vibrant array of pinks, yellows, greens, and other bright tones complemented not only her outfit, but also the upcycled clothing collection. Inside, she whirls between her roles as a full-time freelancer, fashion designer, merchandiser, blogger, and artist. During our tour, we couldn't help but notice the bold, commanding figures on her studio walls. Their presence seemed to radiate energy into the room, not seeking attention, but effortlessly filling the space with their vibrant aura, occupying space in a way that demands awareness—a characteristic echoed in Niege's artwork.
Andrea Sofia: A lot of your work is very feminine and I really love how you portray women, specifically. In a male-dominated industry, how have you felt navigating the art world as a woman?
Niege Borges: (chuckles) Yeah, it is a bit exhausting sometimes; of course, we women are getting more visibility, but it still is a man's [world] I guess still, right? It is totally obviously not fair, but I don't know. I'm not going to be the one changing [the world] much besides making art and trying to find ways to showcase my art and be more visible.
AS: Your work has materialized in many forms; you have paintings, illustrations, graphics, clothing collections, and more. Have you always wanted your work to be multidisciplinary?
NG: I always liked to create random stuff; the doll (Elizabeth) is just something I did for fun. Since I was a kid I liked to just do stuff creatively in my free time. I never thought specifically about having an actual brand hiring me. At first, I did a lot of editorial work, a lot of editorial illustrations for magazines; as you grow in your career as a freelance artist, those opportunities show up and it's really cool to see your art in different products and just out there.
Elizabeth in the roofAS: I think a lot of artists sometimes don’t want to sacrifice their vision, or the creative control of a project, so they prefer not to do any job for corporate companies. Have you had this happen to you? If so, how did you deal with it?
NG: When working with a client, you do have to work within some rules or guidelines for that specific project. In my case, the digital art that I do, I am flexible and fine with changing some things to fit the brand that hired me. But it is never super limiting. It's expected that the brands are going to ask for adjustments, especially in the digital work. Sometimes brands do give you a lot of creative freedom, which is nice.
AS: Do you think there's a line between your illustrative work and your paintings?
NG: I painted when I was younger and then I kind of took a break from it because I was just focusing on digital because that's basically how I make a living, right? And then,more recently, with the pandemic, I decided to go back to painting and I kinda merge both. I like to experiment more with painting, also the nature of the medium, you do end up having more accidents that turn out in something that is different than what I would do digitally where you have more control of everything. But I treat them differently, and I see painting as more like an escape from screens. It's nice to just do something that is right in front of you, that feels more tangible, and also more relaxing, even though I do like to just draw on the computer sometimes for fun as well.
Young Niege AS: How much of yourself do you put into your illustrations and paintings?
NB: I don't see myself in my paintings, but I end up being there. It is not an initial thought, I'm going to make her look like me, you know, it just ends up happening. But also because I do feel that I don't see many paintings out there with people that look like me; there's a lot of women depicted in paintings, but sometimes I just can't relate. Of course I love a lot of [those] paintings, on the traditional side. But I do like to be able to show women in a more relatable way and that ends up reflecting on how they look and sometimes they end up looking a bit like me. It is inspiring to see yourself out there also, even though it's just a generic version of you.
Boat, 2020
Acrylic on canvas
36x48 inAS: You’ve been approached to do work during Hispanic Heritage month, how do you feel about this? Having more job offers during one specific month vs the entire year.
NB: I am thankful for the jobs I got during LatinX Heritage Month, but it is frustrating that a lot of big brands reach out to artists when they need artists from a certain group of people. I think people are starting to realize that more and more. So eventually I hope that brands catch up. We are thankful for the opportunity and a lot of these brands do pay well. But we need jobs every month. You can't just hire people when it's convenient and it's going to make it look good, right?
AS: What advice would you give to aspiring artists looking to make a name for themselves or just coming into New York or creating an art career for themselves?
NB: Be prepared to probably work a lot. There are a lot of artists, myself included, who sometimes take a while to actually show on social media. You just have to start putting things out there. Someone is going to appreciate it and you can always archive it later. You do have to find a way to be able to do all that without losing your mind, and getting things done at the same time, you know. I think it's important to just keep working and not be so shy about showing what you're doing to people. New York specifically can be tough sim but the amount of amazing art here is super inspiring.
When we take a look back into the past couple of decades, we really appreciate the shift in championing diversity that the art world has undergone. Voices by individuals and established institutions within the art landscape to address long-standing issues of diversity and inclusivity have grown louder and louder. Propelled by a few movements, our industry has pushed the art world to include diversity in the forefront of their agenda. While we see, hear, and feel the progress, the reality might be quite different on the market side. We are still at very early stages, and only hope the momentum keeps building since at this current rate of growth, we won’t see equality in the market in the next couple of decades[1].
Check Niege’s artworks on Eyes On Art, and follow Niege at @niegeborges for the latest whereabouts.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity, while preserving the original meaning and intent of the interviewee's statements. Please note that the editing is tailored for online presentation, enhancing readability and engagement.
[1] The 2022 Burns Halperin Report
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Andrea Sofia Matos holds a master's degree in Visual Arts Administration from New York University. She received her BA in Art History and Photography from Florida International University (2021). Born and raised in Bayamón, Puerto Rico she is a curator and arts administrator focused on art from the Caribbean, Puerto Rico and their diasporas. Most recently she curated “IN-ANIMADA” a solo exhibition at Galería SPACE in Guaynabo, PR by artist William Norris Pagán and was the curatorial assistant of the exhibition “Swagger & Tenderness: The South Bronx Portraits of John Ahearn and Rigoberto Torres” at the Bronx Museum of Art.
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